Hello everyone! Hope you’re all doing okay in isolation at the moment. Apologies that this unboxing is so late this month. Due to the current situation, Owlcrate has understandably had some delays in sending out their boxes. Yet, my April crate has finally arrived, which is the main thing!
For those of you who haven’t read any of my previous unboxings, here is what you need to know. Owlcrate is a monthly subscription service for fans of Young Adult novels. Each box costs around £38 to ship to the United Kingdom and is guaranteed to contain one newly released book, usually signed by the author and with an exclusive cover. In addition to this, the boxes contain 3-5 other items that are carefully curated to follow the monthly theme. This month, the theme was “Full Moon Magic”.
Oh, and a final word of warning. As Owlcrate is a subscription service, it guarantees you each box as long as your subscription remains active. While you can cancel at any time, you should bear in mind that the boxes often sell out very quickly and so it can be difficult to get back onto the mailing list once you come off (I made this mistake myself last September…).
Anyhow, I think that covers everything. Let’s take a look at what was inside the April crate. Please bear in mind that this post does contain pictures and massive spoilers for those of you who are still waiting for your crate to arrive…
This month’s box was surprisingly heavy and absolutely crammed full of goodies. Let’s just take a quick look at every item in turn and see how well they fit the theme.
First out of the box was a canvas bag with an Oscar Wilde quote on it. Inside the bag was a cute little bamboo banner which shows the phases of the moon. Both the bag and the banner were designed by paperbackbones. I adore this item, as it’s so simple yet really eye-catching. It also obviously fits the theme, as both the quote and design are all about the moon. Although it’s not very long, it does look pretty good hanging across the top of my bookshelves.
The next item is the first piece of jewellery that I’ve had out of an Owlcrate for a while. It’s a simple copper bracelet designed by Team Owlcrate. The bracelet is inspired by Winterwood by Shea Ernshaw, but you don’t have to have read this novel to appreciate how pretty it is. The bracelet is delicate enough to fit even my scrawny wrists and its crescent moon design clearly fits the crate’s theme. I’m a bit in love with this item and will certainly be wearing it.
Next out of the box is a tote bag, designed by Unlucky Design. The quote on this item is taken from Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi, and it quite obviously fits the crate’s theme. Not only does this item look great, it’s also a really useful item at the moment that will serve me well on essential supermarket runs!
The next item is also very functional, and contains another appropriate Oscar Wilde quote. This hard backed notepad was designed by Kim Becker Design. The insides are lined and it’s sturdy enough to stand up to some punishment in the bottom of a bag. Like most bookworms, I horde notebooks and so I’m always happy to get my hands on more. It’s especially handy for me at the moment, as often while working from home I feel the need to jot things down!
The last big item in the crate was a 300 piece jigsaw which features artwork by atalienart. While it took me a second to realise how this matched the theme, I did eventually figure out that the character featured on the jigsaw is Harry Potter‘s Remus Lupin – otherwise known as Moony. This item was also well received and could not have come at a better of time. I am constantly looking for ways to ward off the boredom and a jigsaw will do the trick quite nicely!
With all the goodies out of the way, it’s time to start moving towards the pièce de résistance. First though, let’s take a look at this month’s addition to my growing enamel pin collection. This month’s pin was designed by White Wide Woods. It’s quite a lot smaller than the previous few pins, but I must admit that I like the design a lot more. The pin shows a striking image of a barn owl and the phases of the moon. It’s supposed to tie in with this month’s read, but I guess we won’t know in what way until I get around to reviewing it…
Before I reveal this month’s novel, let’s take a quick look at the paper goods in the crate. As always, we have the magazine and a spoiler card that explained each of the items (which was very useful to me in writing this review). There was also a letter from the author of this month’s book, so eagle-eyed readers may now have a very good idea of what is next…
That’s right, this month’s novel is Bone Crier’s Moon by Kathryn Purdie. While the description of this novel does sound a bit generic, I am still curious to read on as I have never picked up anything by this author before. The Owlcrate edition has an exclusive metallic cover and gold sprayed edges, making it a beautiful addition to any collection.
So, that’s it for this month. All in all, I am super happy with the crate. Although it did not seem to contain as much as the previous couple, all of the items inside match the monthly theme and I am definitely going to use every last one of them. I also rather like how well balanced this crate was to entertain those of us who are stuck in lockdown, as the jigsaw and book will make for great entertainment, while the notepad and tote bag are really practical.
Anyhow, that’s it from me. Tune in next month to find out what I though of the May crate. The theme will be “Rebel with a Cause” and apparently it’s going to contain a graphic novel…
Arkham Reviews 